


Cherry Wine

by TheWibbly



Category: Vampire: The Masquerade, Vampire: The Masquerade - L.A. By Night (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 17:08:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20246341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWibbly/pseuds/TheWibbly
Summary: Inspired by the song Cherry Wine by Hozier. Jasper looks into his feelings and relationship with Eva after the very dramatic encounter in the labyrinth. Spoilers for S3 finale.





	Cherry Wine

So I wrote this because for some reason, Hozier’s song Cherry Wine came to me as a song I can see relating to Eva and Jasper. I haven’t written a fic in close to 10 years, so this is my first in a very long time. I hope you all like it, this might be a little feelsy. 

  
  


_ “Her eyes and words are so icy _

_ Oh but she burns _

_ Like rum on the fire _

_ Hot and fast and angry as she can be _

_ I walk my days on a wire”. _

After looking at how Nelli's body reacted when Chaz was alive, Jasper was not a stupid man at reading body language at this point. For the few months that Jasper has known Eva, she seemed a little more cautious as a Kindred than most he had met. Her slowly taking a liking to him, not only threw him off guard, but also confused him at times. In the beginning she’d flinch before he’d made sudden moves, he saw the panic in her eyes, abite her calm presence. He could tell that she was really trying to break out of that comfort zone. Somehow Jasper was the one she wanted that barrier broken with. 

She sometimes would come around and they would walk quietly around the park, just silently enjoying the silent company. With so much time to be alive, if you could call it that, silence was sometimes the best thing that Jasper liked about these walks with Eva. 

_ “It looks ugly, but it's clean, _

_ Oh momma, don't fuss over me.” _

Then there would be weeks without anything, no texts, no walks. Her guarded nature he slowly adjusted to. Even though he would never admit it out loud, he would actually miss her. Lonely nights felt somehow lonelier. Especially in the beginning, he wished she’d want to be near him more. Read books, explore the labyrinth, go for walks. And maybe even be graced with a  _ kiss _ , again. But he didn’t count on that often after the first time, that was more unexpected than he could have imagined.

But he played it safe, not only because of the ward that was placed on her previously, but he just didn’t want her to be scared off. Looks aside, the Nosferatu was not the most cautious kindred and often made very bold actions, that often put himself in danger. He didn’t really like other kindred, Annabelle was enough of a shock to him that he actually liked her company. But two kindred in a short period of time of each other? That was almost unheard of for him. 

_ “The way she tells me I'm hers and she is mine _

_ Open hand or closed fist would be fine _

_ The blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine _ .”

But Eva was different. He hated,  _ hated _ , that he even went as far as thinking that into a cliche of interaction with another. But there was something about her that drew him to her. The delivery of flowers and the red rose, was bold, but subtle. He never expected another human or even  _ especially  _ a kindred, to make such a statement. It was just flowers though, right? Nothing too serious. Then there was the healing ointment he sent her, that was just a nice gesture, obviously. 

Eva didn’t make her intentions vocal, she never told jasper anything directly. But he wasn’t stupid. Especially after she gave him the ring with the inscription, that had the rather kind inscription inside of it. It took him forever to figure out the russian, but when he finally figured it out, if he had a beating heart it would have leapt out of his chest. It read the words  _ “My Crimson Petal”  _ on the inside.

He didn’t want to get too selfish and greedy, thinking that really meant anything. But he kept that damn ring on him all the time. Even after learning that was already inscribed for quite some time. Given to her by someone quite important in her past, but he didn’t want to pry too much further into that. Getting that kind of response was big, she otherwise was very silent. Especially vocally on the emotional front. Regardless, it was something that meant a lot to her, passing it onto him was big. And when that ring was taken from him after  _ that incident _ , he felt a small panic not knowing where it had gone to. 

_ “Calls of guilty thrown at me _

_ All while she stains _

_ The sheets of some other _

_ Thrown at me so powerfully _

_ Just like she throws with the arm of her brother.” _

Shortly after its disappearance, it was retrieved not far after. In the most unfortunate circumstances. 

Eva didn’t like talking about her past too much. She wouldn’t open up, which most Kindred aren’t one to do that so freely. But he had heard of Maximilian Strauss, most kindred have. Camarilla scum, if you’d ask Jasper. But he expected nothing less of an elder Tremere. And as a Tremere, Eva once was under his thumb like most in that clan seemed to be. It wasn’t her fault. It was never a Kindred’s fault which clan they were embraced under. Unless, willingly knowing of the whole politics of vampire clans. But not many mortal souls knew unless ghoul’d.

But he did something. Something to Eva that he could never forgive anyone for doing. Such an action that made it incredibly hard for him to attempt to get closer to her, without pressuring more information out of her. But Jasper wasn't that much of a dick. At least not to the embraced he cared about. Especially not Eva. He never thought anyone would still want to be around him. Especially after the Chloe incident. Which he was positive he’d never be forgiven for.

_ “But I want it _

_ It's a crime _

_ That she's not around most of the time. _

_ The way she shows me I'm hers and she is mine _

_ Open hand or closed fist would be fine _

_ Blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine.” _

One night she told him her fears of Strauss finding him, finding out of their relationship.  _ Caine help him, he was in an undead relationship. _ That it would be deadly, if things were to go wrong. But he already made a spectacle of himself at this point, dressing very similar to that man in question. Meeting Strauss face to face was more stressful than he lead on that very dangerous night with the magic mirror incident. How much Strauss knew was unclear, but after taking the ring from his paralized body while in the hands of the Camarilla was enough of an indicator of how important she was to him. If she didn’t want Strauss dead before, she certainly did even more after those series of very unfortunate events.

So tonight, when he held her in his arms, as they read their books, he tried remaining as calm as possible as she went into detail about the horrible incidents that Strauss inflicted on her. She told him her story, which honestly explained her preference of blood. He honestly could not blame her for it. He’d need a lot  _ more  _ than painkillers in blood to make him feel alive again. Jasper wanted Strauss to face the final death in the worst ways. Jasper was no perfect kindred, his humanity was as low as they came and he didn’t make any buts about it. But he could only imagine the horrible things outside of Eva that he did to her. He never wanted anyone to experience that from any Kindred. But that kill, was all in Eva’s hands, unless specified otherwise.

_ “Her fight and fury is fiery _

_ Oh but she loves _

_ Like sleep to the freezing _

_ Sweet and right and merciful _

_ I'm all but washed _

_ In the tide of her breathing. _

_ And it's worth it, it's divine _

_ I have this some of the time.” _

He shifted in his seat, adjusting himself to kiss her forehead. Jasper pulled away and Eva rested herself onto his chest. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and they both drifted off into their undead slumber. This is more than he ever expected out of her, and he was just glad, after everything, she was able to tell him how Strauss affected her unlife. He wasn’t sure how their future was to go on, he honestly wasn’t sure what horrors faced them. But he knew that in this moment they had each other. That was the most important part, even if he was too embarrassed to admit it. 

_ “ _ _ And it's worth it, it's divine _

_ I have this some of the time. _

_ The way she shows me I'm hers and she is mine _

_ Open hand or closed fist would be fine _

_ The blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine.” _


End file.
